Hi friends. Long time no write-the semester caught up with me quickly. But anywhere, here's Before Happily , or as I like to call it, "A Friendly Reminder that No Matter How the Story Ends, Audrey is Still Half-Masticated by a Giant Plant."
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Never have, never will.
(Author's Note: I couldn't really find a way to get these into the story without it sounding awkward, so here are the details you should know: 1- I've slightly altered the Theatrical Ending for this-Audrey still lives (obviously) but the plant still tells her about "her dentist friend and Mushnik." 2- In my mind, the wounds are in that semi-unnamed area between the small of the back and the hips and wrap around the sides a little. So yeah)
There was urgency in all of Seymour's kisses—not forceful, no, but he kissed her because he needed to, as if he would fall apart without it. He pressed his lips to hers, eager to feel her, be sure she was still there after everything that had happened today. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back with all her love, ready to help him in whatever way he needed—after all, he'd saved her twice over: today, from the plant, and quite a few weeks back, when he did what he needed to keep Orin from hurting her. They stood amidst the ruin and the rubble of the old flower show, limbs entwined, searching for comfort, catharsis, after all that had transpired.
He moved his hands from the small of her back to her side, forgetting that was where the plant had bitten her, which made Audrey wince and break the kiss, sucking in air through her teeth. Seymour immediately jumped back. "I'm sorry!" he cried, "I forgot all about that I'm just so happy you're alright that I—"
"It's okay, Seymour," she said, smiling at him through her pain. She twisted her body to look once more at her wounds—she'd forgotten them too, until he touched them. "Can we go back to my place so we can clean up?" she asked. He nodded, taking her hand, and the two of them crossed the street, leaving their destroyed place of employment behind them.
Audrey tried to reach her hands around to her back to unzip her gown, but she met with pain no matter how she turned her arms. She bit her lip, stifling a cry, and then asked Seymour, "Could you help me with my zipper?"
Seymour crossed to her and slowly slid the zipper down her back. She let the dress fall down her body before stepping out of it, standing in only her slip and pantyhose. There were clear tears in the slip at her sides, with red stains around them, proof that her being trapped inside the Audrey II was not just a bad dream. Her wounds had scabbed over; thankfully they weren't too deep, but she was sure they'd leave scars. Audrey picked up her gown from the floor and laid it on her bed before stepping out of her heels and walking toward her bathroom. "I'll be real quick," she assured Seymour, "there ain't much in the kitchen, but you can have whatevah you want." Seymour nodded and sat down on her tiny loveseat, unable to stop reliving the day past.
Audrey quickly discarded the clothes she had left and turned on the shower, waiting for a steady stream of hot water before stepping in, letting the water wash everything away. The hot water was soothing at first, but once it trickled down to her sides, onto her wounds, pain seeped in. She sped through her shower, then wrapped her robe around her and brushed out her hair, saving herself the trouble of putting a dress or nightgown on top of her wounds.